Clubs are now well established in America, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada and mainland Europe.

Australia won the 2002 International Rules

The game is also played in many other parts of the world where there are large numbers of Irish people.

Indeed a team in New York competes in the all-Ireland Championship each year.

There is an annual International Rules series played between Ireland and Australia.

The rules of that particular game being a mix of Gaelic football and Australian Rules football.

It is thought that Australian Rules was based on Gaelic Football after the game was taken to the other side of the World by those who were deported or who emigrated there a couple of hundred years ago.

There are now over 2,500 clubs within Ireland alone, these clubs feed into the county system.

That is where 32 teams compete each year to be All-Ireland Champions and lift football's coveted Sam Maguire trophy.